I found out today that I am going to need 28 rounds of radiation. I've had 8 rounds of chemo and a double mastectomy. The doctor talked a lot about my skin burning and that it could blister. I am so worried! Can anyone share their radiation experience and what I can do to best protect my skin. I'd really appreciate it!

Please don't panic! I just finished 33 rounds of radiation 2 weeks ago (28 regular plus 5 boosts). I am very pale, so I was worried about skin reactions. I was FINE. Not a big deal at all. I got pinkish-red, but it didn't even hurt like a sunburn. Zero blistering or peeling or raw skin or anything like that. My doctor told me that skin burning/blistering COULD happen but happens in just a minority of patients, and they have really good treatments if it does happen (silvadene lotion or something like that). I wish I spent less time worrying about it. And now, 2 weeks later, I am just a little bit tanner on that side, that's it. You would never think I went through radiation.

I have 2 friends who also went through radiation in the past year. One ended up like me, no issues whatsoever. The other did have a bad reaction, but it wasn't until around day 25. And she said that while it hurt, it wasn't horrific or anything (it didn't prevent her from going about her life), and it cleared up so quickly once she was done.

They also talk about fatigue as a side effect. I felt fine during rads, but the day after my last day, I had one crazy day of fatigue and I had to go home around 2 and napped most of the day. That was it. Fine after that.

While I am not writing from experience, yet, my radiation oncologist told me the same, one MIGHT have burns, but that the key is communication. Let the doctor/staff know if I started to experience any burning sensations. She also reassured me that after chemo, radiation would be much easier to handle. Just to make sure that I listened to my body, take a rest when needed and to follow their instructions.

Im wandering how long i should wait after surgery? I had bmx surgery only 8 days after ending chemo. I think thatay have been too soon. Im still feeling effects of chemo. My nails continue to change and i have numbness in legs and feet and hands that comes and goes. The surgeon said that was the taxol still working. How long does it keep working?Or is it better to hit it with radiation while its still week from taxol?

My MO said to wait 4 - 6 weeks after chemo for surgery, it'll be almost 8 weeks when I have mine due to a backlog. My radiation is supposed to start 4 weeks after surgery, I'll be meeting with the radiation oncologist, RO, 3 weeks after surgery. Honestly, it's not worth questioning when you had your surgery, it's done now so leave it in the past, ok?

You ask good questions, but I don't have any answers; can you ask your MO or RO?

Thank you jacklin. I have appt. Today with RO so i will ask him when i should start. I just wandered what other people have done? How long did they wait to start radiation? I tried to find standard of are but nothing came up. In America there is recomended standard of care for treatment of specific illnes i found it for tnbc and chemo but i didnt find it for radiation.

Rom- I think 4 weeks is about standard for radiation after chemo or after surgery, if no chemo after surgery.My wife had to wait 8 weeks for surgery after neoadjuvant chemo (chemo before surgery)b/c one team member was on vacation. like Jacklin says, it's gone now, so better to focus on the future instead of what could have been" perfect "(according to statistics)

Hi garrden girl im having my sixth treatment today. Started getting a slight sunburn three days ago. I cut a leaf from a loe vera plant put juice on and next day it was gone. They dont want me to use store bought gel and they are picky about lotion. But juice from the leaf is ok and it works.Really after chemo and surgery this is easy. The only thing is i have to go every day and i live an hour away. Still cant drive because of chemo brain. I ride in with my husband cause he works there then a vollunteer or friend has to drive me home. Sometimes its hard to find a ride. I may try uber! Hahaha. Im so low tech i dont even know how to do that!😁😋 ha Its another adventure. Another small hiil to climb to get to the top of the tnbc mountain.Just keep climbing one day at a time. Together we can do this

My rad onc gave me several things to try - Aquafor, Silvadyne, another cream I can't remember. My friend's husband had this huge, very old aloe plant that they gave us. I used everything and often, but found the juice/milk from the aloe leaves worked the best. It was amazing and soothed the burns. (Be careful of aloe juice or lotion you get over the counter. Most contain alcohol and is not pure aloe. The alcohol is not good on radiation burns.)

I am hoping for some information to help me make a decision about upcoming radiation. I just finished my 3rd Taxol treatment and have 9 more to go. After that I was told I will have about three weeks off to recover. After leaving WA State I went to MD Anderson for approx 2 weeks and met with a Radiation Oncologist there prior to leaving for San Antonio. The RO told me that she recommends I come back to MD Anderson for the Radiation even though it will be inconvenient having to stay in an extended stay apartment for 6 weeks. She said they have the most advanced radiation treatment and since my radiation will be over my heart it will be extremely important. She said something about them making a special form for my chest to make sure the radiation goes exactly where it needs to go and they also use only as much radiation as needed. I really do not know anything about it. I made an appointment with the local Radiation Oncologist for next week to find out what their treatment protocol is compared to MD Anderson. I need to decide soon which way I am going because I need to get on a waiting list for housing if I go to MD Anderson.

My aunt is undergoing radiation rounds as she is diagnosed with breast cancer. Each radiation oncologist has a different set of recommendations to protect the skin from radiation side effects. Her oncologists use a low-strength hydrocortisone cream during radiation.

there are many messages on here what to do to help during radiation. Most say aloe. That was my salvation too. I am extremely fair. They thought it would be a real problem for me. My hubby bought me an aloe plant. Just slice a leaf open and rub in on. Worked wonders. I have given part of my plant to several other ladies with cancer. None have had any problems with burns. One had it on her upper neck. Doc didn't even want to do radiation for fear of burning. I gave her some. She never had trouble. I only got a bit red the last three treatments. Docs were amazed. Not bottled aloe, real plants. You will see many others on here say the same thing.

I can't stress how much I loved Egyptian Magic during radiation. I have used it ever since for so many issues and my daughter loves it for acne scarring. I didn't want to use Aquafor as it was Petroleum based so I found the Egyptian Magic which is olive oil based. Always consult your RO before using something on your own. I got the go ahead and used it throughout my 33 radiation rounds. At the end, my RO asked me for the name of what I had used again. He said that I looked like I had only 2 weeks of radiation. He was going to start telling patients about it.

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot create polls in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum